Separate lives
by Captivity Bound
Summary: What if Elena was not rules by her heart? What if her driving ambition was the need to move forward to towards her life as a future doctor? What if her parents had not died and she were still whole and did not need any Salvatore man for salvation? A surprising friendship with Damon flourishes.


A/N: I fully intend this to be part of a larger story where Elena is independent of spirited and not so crippled by this unrivaled humanity everyone keeps referring to. It was very difficult to write because Delena is my favourite ship, sans competition. Unlikely though it may sound, everything i have read with regards to Delena FanFic has been excellent and has made this task all the more story centers on the idea that she is still compassionate, but along with that there is the presence of something almost no teenager lacks: self-obsession. The story starts with the assumption that she had met Damon under casual but mysterious circumstances and though she had admitted his attractiveness to herself, she was still focused on her future and her life. I hope this will be the first of many posts for this story.

'Hiiiiii...,' the words died a long and drawn out death on her lips as she took in the sight of Damon shirtless and less than a meter ahead of her. Before she could say anything even slightly less idiotic a woman came half-stumbling down the staircase behind Damon. Thankfully, her minimalist frame was covered by something that looked to be from Damon's closet. Elena could tell from the delicate way she pressed the tips of her fingers against her temples that she must have a raging headache. 'Damon,' the mystery woman half-whispered. Perhaps because she could not produce anything louder, or perhaps because she could not stand to hear anything any louder.

When she brushed her hair from the front of her face Elena realized that she was Andie Starr, the reporter. Elena's inner groupie could not stop itself from saying, 'Andie Starr. I love your work. I thought the story you did on the Richmond Forest was amazing.' Her eyes seemed to gain some measure of lucidity then. 'Thanx. I worked on that for months before my producer let me write or say one official word about that.'

'Should I leave you two to establish a fan-club?' Damon asked sourly.

The corners of his mouth were straining upwards despite his best efforts to maintain a blank and sarcastic demeanor.

'No, actually. Damon, I was wondering if I could talk to you, ' Elena managed to say with a coherence that made her forget her earlier fumbling. 'But if this isn't a good time,' she went on, ' then I could come back.' Her left shoulder was already turning towards the door as the idea of what she had interrupted dawned on her.

'Okay, what can I do for you, Ms Gilbert?' He said, with too pleasant a smile.

'Well, actually, Mr Salvatore, I mean Damon I was wondering if I could borrow your car for prom? If you just give me a second to explain, I will,' she said holding up her hands in mock protest. 'I am sort of trying to project a strong female image and me manually driving your kick ass car would go a long way towards helping to solidify that image. She took a breath for the first time since starting their monologue.

'Have you ever driven a manual?' he asked skeptically.

'Oh yeah, at least once,' she replied with as much conviction as she could muster that point.

'So you want me, to let you drive my precious car when you aren't sure you know how to drive stick? Is that an accurate summary of your request?'

'I would be very, very careful.'

She looked around in the hope that Andie was nearby, but she was nowhere in sight. Damon was over at the cabinet pouring him self a drink. No judging people's drinking habits, particularly those you want favors from, she reminded herself mentally.

'How about I drive you? You still get to show up in a classy ride and I get to keep paying the lowest possible insurance premium.'

'That sort of defeats the strong-single-point if I get dropped off by a hot guy.' Oh no. Had she called him hot out loud? Elena, you're an idiot. 'Anyway Damon,' she continued, 'this definitely isn't your problem. Sorry to have interrupted your morning.' With each word she said she took a measured step backwards towards the door.

'Thanx Damon. See you around, ' she half-mumbled with the heavy wood of the heavy oak wood of the front door in her hands. As she walked towards her car she was sure she heard her name said on exhalation, like a sigh. She ignored the sound and got into her car.

A week later she was walking out of the bathroom she shared with Jeremy after her lengthy preparations for tonight's dance. Her, Bonnie and Caroline had decided to split the cost of a limo. She saw something shiny on her dressing table . It was a set of keys with a note. It read,

_'Elena. Image isn't everything, but I can't deny you anything - Damon'_


End file.
